WASHINGTON (AFP) – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry declared Friday that international failure to take military action against Syria over its chemical weapons attacks would embolden Iran and Hezbollah.

“This matter also goes beyond the limits of Syria’s borders,” he said, in a statement that left little doubt that U.S. military action against Syria was imminent.

“It’s about whether Iran, which itself has been a victim of chemical weapons attacks, will now feel emboldened in the absence of action to obtain nuclear weapons. It’s about Hezbollah and every other terrorist group that might contemplate the use of weapons of mass destruction.”

Photo Credit: AFP/Mohamed Abdullah